Nacho Figueras, a close friend of Prince Harry, said that he and the Duke of Sussex are missing their wives, Meghan Markle and Delfina Blaquier, “very much” as they arrived at the Singapore Polo Club in preparation for their charity polo match for Sentebale.
The Prince founded the charity, which provides assistance to young people in need throughout Lesotho and Botswana. Harry competed against the Singapore Polo Club Team for the Royal Salute Sentinal Team, which was led by charity ambassador Nacho.
Photo: Samir Hussein
Nacho caught up with HELLO! shortly after posing for several photos in advance of the match and shared the heartwarming revelation about himself and the Duke.
The polo player said, “We miss our wives very much. It took a lot of travelling for 24 hours in Japan and a few hours here, even though the trip was only a few days long. However, we miss them and wish they were here.
Photo: Matt Jelonek
Harry honoured his late mother, Princess Diana, at the poignant event. Since Prince Seeiso and I established the charity 17 years ago, he declared. Our work has remained firmly rooted in our mission, and in memory of our late mothers, we want to make sure that all children and young people in southern Africa have the power, health, and freedom to pursue their aspirations.
“For nearly two decades, Sentebale has remained a pillar of strength in communities all over southern Africa, ensuring that upcoming generations will be well-prepared to tackle the numerous problems facing our planet. A key aspect of our work has been adaptability and nimbleness.
Photo: Roslan Rahman
Amazingly, the charity match brought in $1 million for the cause.
As he entered the field, The Prince was wearing a purple and white number two shirt. The teams put on a great performance, and their close competition resulted in a well-deserved tie with a score of 7-7. Both teams shared the trophy, and the Prince assisted his teammates in stepping out onto the stage for the award ceremony.
Photo: How Hwee young / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
After Nacho had collected his award, Harry said, “Well played Nacho, thanks for coming.” Each player then went to collect their own award.
However, it didn’t take long for the two to resume their friendly banter as Harry pretended to steal the trophy from his friend.
At halftime, Harry and Nacho were seen laughing and joking together, keeping their friendly competition on the pitch. Harry’s vivacity permeated the entire game.
Photo: How Hwee young / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Nacho spoke candidly about his and Harry’s shared sporting rivalry prior to the game.
We’ve been playing together for a while, and now we get to play against each other, which is always entertaining, he said. He wanted to bring up a game of foosball that we had already played in which he had beaten me, and we had been making jokes about it for a few days. But question him about our most recent tennis match.
It will be a good game, and today is really about raising money for charity, which is why we are here.
Naturally, Nacho was gushing about the Prince and his devotion to Sentebale.
Photo: Matt Jelonek
“I always say that before I knew anything about Sentebale, the first thing that [struck] me about it was his dedication to the charity and how much he cared about doing good. When I went to Lethoso with him—we’ve been there two or three times—I could see that firsthand. He is the first to suggest that there is room for improvement. It’s really motivating.
He is very devoted; it is in his DNA. This is why I like him so much. Being able to spend so much time with him on this trip has been wonderful.
“It’s an honour for me to surround myself with someone like that,” the speaker said. “He’s not just a great friend; he cares; he’s very aware; he’s human, and that’s inspiring to see how someone has dedicated his life to giving back.”
The annual Polo Cup is essential to Sentebale’s vital work ensuring children and young people are healthy, resilient, and able to thrive, said father of two Harry prior to the game.
Photo: Roslan Rahman
“The money raised this year will go towards our Clubs and Camps programme, which offers young people living with HIV intensive psychosocial support. We are empowering young people to know their status, maintain their health, and end the stigma so they can break the cycle in an era where having HIV is no longer a death sentence.
We are excited to play at the prestigious Singapore Polo Club again in August and, as always, are incredibly appreciative of the polo community and our sponsors, especially ISPS Handa, for their ongoing support of the youth of Lesotho and Botswana.
The two had their devoted wives on their minds frequently before.
Photo: Matt Jelonek
Harry and Nacho travelled to Tokyo, Japan earlier this week for the ISPS Sports Values Summit-Special Edition, where they both spoke on stage. Prior to their trip to Singapore, Nacho posted a candid photo of Harry and her trying on sunglasses in a gift shop on Instagram.
Photo: Nacho Figueras
He captioned the picture, “Shopping for our wives.” “A heartfelt thank you to Tokyo for your kind and generous hospitality. Of course, thank you for continuing to support @sentebale.
With Princess Lilibet, age two, and Prince Archie, age four, Meghan has remained in Montecito, California. The Duchess spent Tuesday night in Los Angeles attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert with her friends.
